July 2007

07/29/2007

This weekend I decided to stop stealing my nieces' vampire books and do some serious reading so I picked up the rebel by Albert Camus. A long time ago (when I was a teenager) I read The Outsider and The Plague by Camus so it seemed timely to catch up with the prime miserabilist. Unfortunately it turned out that The Rebel was not, in fact, a novel but an essay in political philosophy. Drawing on Marx, Hegel and Rousseau, Camus makes a case for revolutionary progress whilst avoiding the usual (inevitable?) results: tyranny and murder. Religion gets most of the blame, history is given short shrift and humanity, of course, is culpable and doomed. Ultimately Camus' nihilistic philosophy has as much in common with real life as the targets he attacks throughout the book.

To be honest I didn't understand half of it and half of that was tripe and codswallop in my opinion (which is never humble). Still it was an interesting read and now I'm going to move on to his fiction with, hopefully, a clearer understanding than I had when I was 17.

So, to sum up; instead of being out on the town on Friday and Saturday night, I was sitting at home reading political philosophy and eating strawberry cheesecake and blacl cherry yoghurt. I am sad and lonely. i think I'll go to the pub today.

07/26/2007

I only usually wear one item of jewellery, a ring on my third finger left hand. As you can see from the attached photographs it's not a wedding ring, in fact it's more of an anti-wedding ring. If women catch a glimpse of it they presume it's a wedding ring and leave me alone; if they take a good look at it they understand the symbolism and leave me alone. Apart from the odd, drunken, crazy woman who won't take no for an answer; I explain to them that as an elderly cripple with a chronic heart condition I don't do the messy, sticky, stuff anymore and then I make my excuses and leave.

07/21/2007

07/18/2007

1. Closest red thing to you?: Tinsel.2. Last thing to make you angry?: The bouncer at my local pub. 3. Do you have a temper?: Very rarely.4. Are you a fan of romance?: Yes.

-------------------ORANGE-------------------

1. Closest orange thing to you?: A candied orange.2. Do you like to burn things?: No.3. Dress up for Halloween?: I’m always dressed up.

4. Are you usually a warm-hearted person?: I’m a total sociopath. I can pretend warm. 5. Do you have anything against redheaded people?: Love them.6. Are you usually full of energy?: I’m suffering from anaemia at the moment so no.

2. The happiest time[s] of your life?: Still having them.3. Favourite holiday?: In Greece.4. Are you a coward?: Of course.5. Do you burn or tan?: Burn, tan and then fade to a lovely golden colour.

-------------------GREEN-------------------

1. Closest green thing to you?: A Christmas tree.2. Do you care about the environment?: Couldn’t give a rat’s arse.3. Are you jealous of anyone right now?: No.

4. Are you a lucky person?: I don’t believe in luck. I’m a realist.5. Do you always want what you can't have?: No.6. Do you like being outdoors?: Not too often.7. Are you Irish?: Hell no.

-------------------BLUE-------------------

1. Closest blue thing to you?: The chair I’m sitting on.2. Are you good at calming people down?: Yes. 3. Do you like the sea?: Yes, as long as I don’t have to go in it.4. What was the last thing that made you cry?: The book I read yesterday.5. Are you a logical thinker?: On occasion.

6. Can you sleep easily?: No.

---------------------PURPLE-------------------

1. Last purple thing you saw?: Tess Of The D’Urbervilles.2. Like being treated to expensive things?: Of course.3. Do you like mysterious people?: Yes.4. Favourite type of chocolate?: White.5. Ever met anyone in royalty?: I was in an honour guard for the royal family once but they didn’t speak to me.6. Are you creative?: Yes.

2. Do you like sweet things?: Oh yes.3. Like play-fighting? Only with girls.

4. Are you sensitive?: I try not to be.5. Do you like music?: Yes.

-------------------WHITE-------------------

1. Closest white thing to you?: My t-shirt.2. Would you say you're innocent?: I never did nuthin.3. Good at keeping the peace?: Yes..4. How do you imagine your wedding?: It remains a nightmare.

5. Do you like to play in the snow?: It depends who I’m playing with.6. Are you afraid of going to the doctors or dentist?: No.

-------------------BLACK-------------------

1. Closest black thing to you?: My underpinnings.2. Ever enjoy hurting people?: Only if they ask nicely.3. Are you sophisticated or silly?: Daft as a brush mostly.4. Would you like to go to space?: I’m a bit scared of heights.5. Do you have a lot of secrets?: Only filthy ones.6. What is your favourite colour?: Black, white and red.7. Does the colour you wear affect your mood?: No.

07/08/2007

07/06/2007

1. Peeling an orange in one piece. I always feel good when I manage to do this. Satsumas, tangerines and mandarin oranges also count. But not lemons or grapefruits. I practice citrus apartheid and I do not eat lemons. Except in Greece; they have really nice lemons there. And I only eat tinned grapefruit. No particular reason, it's just an acquired habit.

2. Batchelors' Cup a Soup. I know I already mentioned this earlier but Cup a Soup makes life worth living. Except if it is has croutons in it. Why do they ruin a good, honest, Cup a Soup by putting croutons in? It's like having scabs floating around in what, on it's own, is a healthy, balanced, meal. And Slim a Soup is positively beyond the pale. Uuurrrggghh!!!

3. Swizzels Matlow. The makers of such life enhancing foodstuffs as lovehearts, parma violets, fizzers, double lollies and double dips. And giant double lollies! The perfect sweet to follow a chicken & Leek Cup a Soup. If I was Supreme Ruler of the Universe I would promote Mr Swizzells and Mr Matlow to be my prime henchmen. They also make rainbow drops.

4. Pictures of semi clad women.

5. Listening to Melanie sing Peace Will Come (In Our Time) or Darlene Love singing Christmas (Baby Please Come Home. And singing along, over and over, until it makes me cry. For some reason that makes me happy and I get a lovely warm feeling in my tummy.

6. Sitting outside the Portobello Star on a Saturday afternoon watching the world go by.

7. Getting an e-mail from the LA Blonde on weekends. Or better still an IM. I like to know she’s thinking about me.

8. Watching It’s A Wonderful Life on a dark, cold, winter’s day with a glass of port and some marzipan sweeties.

9. Being on stage with my band. Sometimes I think I should play more often than every six months but I worry that it would become like work instead of fun.

10. Sitting under an olive tree in the Lemon Mountains eating disgusting food and drinking rose wine from a plastic bucket with Nicoletta and Andreas. They can’t speak English and I’m rubbish at Greek but we get by. In the sun with ugly dog lying by my feet drooling.